The basic substance, 1,3-diphenoxypropane-2-on, was described in 1951 by J. Munch-Petersen (Acta Chem. Scand. 5, 519-528 (1951) and later by M. Baizer (J. Org. Chem. 25, 670-671 (1960). J. Hill (J. Chem. Soc. 1970, 462-464) reported about symmetrically identically substitued compounds, such as 1,3-di-(4'-methylphenoxy)-propane-2-on and 1,3-di-(4'-nitrophenoxy)-propane-2-on. The preparation and use of symmetrically multiply substituted 1,3-diphenoxypropane-2-on compounds can be derived from the U.S. Pat. Nos. 3,655,893 (chloronitrophenyl ethers as nematocides) and 3,666,814 (chloronitrophenyl ethers as herbicides).
Recently, there was a report concerning hypolipaemically effective, symmetrically identically substituted 1,3-diphenoxypropanones, among which the compounds 1,3-di-(4'-methylphenoxy)-propane-2-on and 1,3-di(4'-chlorophenoxy)-propane-2-on should possess the highest activity. (C. Piantadosi, I. H. Hall, S. D. Wyrik and K. S. Ishaq, J. Med. Chem. 19, 222-229 (1976). However, as shown below (Table 3), such compounds do not exhibit a hypolipaemically effect on normally fed, normolipaemic, male Wistar rats weighing 190-230 g.